Sustainable economic growth is essential to maintain the levels of prosperity in the developed world and to enable emerging and developing economies to achieve their fair share of global wealth.
 
In the ten years between 1995 and 2005, ICT drove nearly half the productivity gains in most industrialised countries and an increase in broadband penetration has a positive effect on GDP growth. We need to regenerate sustainable growth to combat rising unemployment in large parts of the world, to achieve the 2020 sustainability targets, reduce excessive public deficits and create growth opportunities for developing countries which often suffer most from the current crisis. Access to ICT and the knowledge, content and information provided via the internet is an important element of an inclusive information society and is essential for broader sustainable economic growth.

The following actions are proposed to fully exploit the potential of ICT in this respect: 

• Governments and businesses should step up investment in the use of ICT and in applied R&D to boost productivity, stimulate innovation and promote education.

• The ICT industry and governments should work closely together to accelerate the roll out and deployment of high speed broadband (including mobile and next generation networks), and extend this to remote and underserved communities and regions.

• The ICT industry and governments should work closely together, along with academic and other educational institutions, to close the gap between the demand for, and supply of, ICT professionals. Failure to do so will have a detrimental effect on sustainable economic growth.

• The ICT industry and governments should both step up efforts to engage women in ICT-professions at large in order to address staff shortages, develop diversity and increase innovation power.

• The ICT industry, the wider business community and governments should work closely together to raise the level of eSkills of professionals in the public and private sectors, particularly in SMEs.

• Governments and business should work closely together to enhance internet access to digital content, protect creators’ rights, encourage simple and legal means of access and promote innovative business models.

• Global availability of interoperable ICT solutions will help to advance the above aspirations, promote competition and enhance consumer choice. Governments can lead by example and support such solutions in public services based on interoperable standards, while avoiding mandating specific technologies or business models.

• Governments, the ICT industry and the wider business sector should jointly examine how to best protect the critical role that ICT infrastructure and services increasingly play in the economy and society.